Statement of Preston Smith on Federal Judge’s Obstruction of Arizona Illegal Immigration Law

Preston Smith, Republican candidate for Georgia attorney general, today issued the following statement regarding federal judge Susan Bolton’s decision to block key parts of the popular Arizona:

“The liberal federal judge that blocked parts of the Arizona law is just one more infuriating example of a national government run amuck. Her activism usurped a state’s authority to take public safety into our own hands when the federal government has undeniably failed us. This decision is victory for Mexico and a loss for the taxpaying, law abiding citizens of the United States.

It should be no surprise that Judge Bolton is a Bill Clinton appointee; so in part, we have my opponent Sam Olens to thank for nonsense like this since he was on the team that got Clinton elected. As attorney general, I will use every tool I have to enforce our current laws against illegal immigration and work to strengthen them where necessary. Georgians can’t afford another attorney general ignoring this issue. The burden of illegal immigration on taxpayers is too high and the cost to public safety is too great.”

Earlier in the campaign, Smith pledged to aggressively enforce The Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, one of the toughest immigration laws in the nation that he helped pass in 2006. Among its provisions, the law requires all public employers and those working on public contracts must participate in citizenship verification. It also stipulates that an arresting police officer must make a reasonable effort to determine the nationality of any person charged and arrested with a felony or DUI. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is to be notified if the prisoner is deemed to be in the United States illegally.

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Preston Smith is seventh generation Georgian. He was elected to the State Senate in 2002 and became the youngest serving Senator in recent history. He is a graduate of Baylor University where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration. He later earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia. As an attorney, Smith specialized in civil litigation and has been admitted to practice in the state and federal trial and appellate courts. He also is a member of the State Bar of Georgia. He is endorsed by the National Rifle Association, GeorgiaCarry.org, Georgia Right to Life, and the Republican Liberty Caucus.